Artillery & Air Defense

Career Management Fields 13 and 14 cover two of the Army’s most distinct combat specialties. CMF 13 (Field Artillery) delivers long-range indirect fire that maneuver forces depend on to suppress, destroy, and neutralize enemy targets. CMF 14 (Air Defense Artillery) defends the force against aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles using systems that range from short-range guns to the Patriot missile battery. Both fields have their home at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where the Fires Center of Excellence trains every soldier in this career family.

Nine enlisted MOS options fall within these two fields, and they cover a wider range of work than most people expect. On the CMF 13 side, you can be part of a howitzer crew physically loading and firing rounds, a forward observer embedded with infantry calling for fire from an observation post, a fire direction center operator running AFATDS targeting software, a HIMARS rocket system crewmember, or a radar operator detecting enemy artillery. On the CMF 14 side, you can operate Patriot fire control or launching stations, run theater-level battle management networks, or maintain early warning data links that track threats from the ground to space.

The shared thread across all nine roles is fires integration, the discipline of applying weapons precisely enough to hit the right target without hitting the wrong one. Soldiers who thrive here are comfortable with math, able to work under pressure, and steady when communication channels get noisy. The higher-tier technical roles in CMF 14 demand strong electronics and systems aptitude. The combat arms roles in CMF 13 reward physical endurance and crew teamwork. Most roles in both fields train at Fort Sill, and several require a Secret security clearance.

At a Glance

All training lengths include the 10-week Basic Combat Training phase. AIT durations reflect the published course lengths on each child page.

Which Role Fits You?

Nine roles sounds like a lot of overlap, but the day-to-day work in each one is genuinely different. The clearest way to sort them is by what the work actually feels like.

If you want physical, crew-based combat work, the CMF 13 cannon and rocket roles are the right fit. The 13B Cannon Crewmember loads and fires howitzers as part of a 5-to-7-soldier crew, working fast under pressure to hit targets miles away. The 13M MLRS/HIMARS Crewmember operates one of the Army’s most strategically significant weapon systems, the M142 HIMARS, which can strike targets over 300 kilometers away with precision-guided rockets. Both jobs keep you on gun crews in the field for extended periods. Neither requires exceptional ASVAB scores, but both demand physical endurance and a tolerance for loud, fast, unpredictable work.

If you want a combat role that puts you closest to the fight, the 13F Fire Support Specialist embeds with infantry and armor units as a forward observer. You call for artillery, mortar, and close air support fires. Unlike gun crews, you’re with the ground troops, finding targets and directing fire onto them. This is one of the highest-impact enlisted jobs in the Army in terms of tactical influence. The 13F requires an FA score of 96, slightly higher than the rest of the field artillery group.

If you prefer fire direction and targeting over direct fieldwork, the 13J Fire Control Specialist runs the fire direction center, operating AFATDS software to turn raw target data into firing solutions. The math and systems work here suits soldiers with computer aptitude who still want a combat arms designation. The 13R Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator takes that technical orientation further: you operate AN/TPQ-series counter-battery radars that detect enemy artillery launches and locate firing positions. The 13R has one of the highest ASVAB requirements in CMF 13 (SC: 98), and both the 13J and 13R require a Secret clearance.

If air defense systems and electronics appeal to you, CMF 14 is where the technical depth really increases. The 14T PATRIOT Launching Station Operator/Maintainer runs the missile launchers and handles the physical maintenance side of the Patriot battery. The 14E Patriot Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer operates the engagement control station, the radar and computer nerve center that detects and tracks threats and authorizes missile launches. The 14G Air Defense Battle Management System Operator works at a higher network level, coordinating air and missile defense data across theater systems. The 14H Air Defense Enhanced Early Warning System Operator operates the data links that track threats from ground level to space. The 14H has the highest ASVAB thresholds in the entire career family (MM: 99 and GT: 99 both required), and the 14E requires an MM: 104, one of the highest mechanical maintenance scores for any enlisted MOS in the Army.

The comparison table above gives you side-by-side details on training length and clearance requirements for each role.

Common Entry Requirements

All CMF 13 and CMF 14 soldiers share these baseline requirements:

• U.S. citizenship with a high school diploma (or GED with AFQT 50+)
• Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, home of the Fires Center of Excellence
• Secret security clearance (required for 7 of 9 MOS)
• OPAT Heavy or Moderate standard at MEPS for cannon and rocket crew roles (13B, 13M)

See each role’s profile below for specific ASVAB line scores, training details, and additional requirements.

Career Field Directory

Field Artillery (CMF 13)

• 13B Cannon Crewmember: loads, fires, and maintains howitzers in direct support of ground forces; the most physically demanding role in the field artillery family
• 13F Fire Support Specialist: embeds with infantry and armor as a forward observer, calling in artillery, mortars, and close air support in direct contact scenarios
• 13J Fire Control Specialist: operates AFATDS to translate raw target data into firing solutions; the technical backbone of every fire direction center
• 13M MLRS/HIMARS Crewmember: operates M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS long-range precision rocket systems with operational-level strike capability
• 13R Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator: operates AN/TPQ-series counter-battery radars to detect enemy rocket and artillery launches and locate firing positions

Air Defense Artillery (CMF 14)

• 14E Patriot Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer: operates and maintains the Patriot engagement control station; one of the longest AIT pipelines in the enlisted Army at roughly 30 weeks
• 14G Air Defense Battle Management System Operator: operates Sentinel radar and networked battle management systems to coordinate theater-level air and missile defense
• 14H Air Defense Enhanced Early Warning System Operator: maintains data links tracking aerial threats from ground level to space; highest ASVAB threshold in the entire career family
• 14T PATRIOT Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer: operates and maintains Patriot missile launchers and performs organizational-level maintenance on launcher electronics and hydraulics

Related Resources

Explore all Army enlisted career paths to compare this career family against other combat arms and technical fields. When you’re ready to prepare for the ASVAB, our ASVAB study guide covers the FA, OF, SC, MM, and GT composites that matter most for artillery and air defense MOS. If you haven’t taken the ASVAB yet, the PiCAT lets you test from home and can accelerate your enlistment timeline.